O'Brien the Antichrist

O'Brien, the Antichrist

George Orwell's 1984 is an allegorical novel, which tells the story of a man living in a dystopian society called Oceania, where the government, The Party, controls every aspect of life. The leader of the government, Big Brother is revered by all. Though he is unseen, citizens love him, and are therefore loyal to him. The Party has many ways of monitoring and controlling the lives of the people. They use telescreens, microphones, and spies to keep a tight leash on their population. The Thought Police is the Party's main weapon against not only rebellious actions, but rebellious thoughts as well. The Thought Police give the Party the power to know the crimes that people are actively committing, and the crimes of their minds and hearts. The Party and Big Brother are on a God-like pedestal, and are attributed many powers. These powers resemble the powers of God, but are used for demonic purposes. Oceania is symbolic of hell, and Big Brother is symbolic of the devil. One man who seems to embody the spirit of the Party and Big Brother is O'Brien. O'Brien is the main antagonist in 1984. He has many of the powers that the party has. He believes in the views of the party, and he reveres Big Brother. O'Brien is similar to the concept of an antichrist. The way Jesus was on Earth as God, O'Brien is on Earth as Big Brother.

Throughout 1984, Winston viewed O'Brien as someone who had unorthodox views of the Party. O'Brien's ambiguous actions filled Winston's head with thoughts like, "...there was a fraction of a second when their eyes met, and for as long as it took to happen Winston knew--yes, he knew!-- that O'Brien was thinking the same thing as himself" (17). About seven years before the story takes place, O'Brien spoke to Winston in a dream. Although Winston wasn't completely sure whether O'Brien was a friend or an enemy, he believed what O'Brien said in his dream because "Winston did not know what it meant, only that in some way or another it...